Fight over bar gains traction | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Angry Ilam School parents fighting University of Canterbury plans to site a student bar next to the school boundary are being backed by the Riccarton-Wigram Community Board.  

The board met a delegation at its meeting last Tuesday of parents who have already collected a petition signed by some 200 Ilam residents who "strongly object" to the plans.  

Replacing the earthquake-damaged students' association offices and bars, the proposed building, will be built on the university carpark just three metres from Ilam School's playground.  

Community board chairman Mike Mora said individuals were unable to make submissions against the planned $2.5 million "temporary events centre" as the university had lodged its consent application under the fast-track provisions of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority legislation.  

However, a university spokesman who did not want to be named, said this was incorrect.  

Mr Mora said the community board also opposed the development on several grounds and asked the deputation of parents to present their objections to the board so they could be included in its own submissions against the bar.   "We have to act quickly," he said. "We are going to present a submission for them that will piggyback on the board's submission."  

Mr Mora said the siting of a bar so close to the school was "totally inappropriate".   "We really have concerns that the Ilam School board supported the bar without consulting parents," he said. He acknowledged the university could build the centre "as of right" because it owned the site and had a liquor licence.  

Mr Mora said the community board was also concerned that the bar was planned to be built on the university carpark, with the loss of about 100 parking spaces, and that well-established trees would have to be felled. "That's a real issue to us," he said. "We're continually having to deal with parking issues around the university as it is."  

Ilam School parents' spokesman Darren Aitken said the school's board of trustees approved the university proposal at a special meeting on September 30, then released a document to parents requesting feedback.  

"The letter didn't say the decision had already been made," he said.   "Our concerns relate to the proximity of the bar to the school and we have concerns about the past behaviour of students.

"Three metres is way too close."   Mr Aitken said the school had sustained damage from vandalism and broken glass left in the playground and parents were "fearful for the impact of extreme behaviour".  

He understood the university was making a second application after being turned down.   But the university spokesman said there had been no earlier application.  

He said senior university representatives planned to meet concerned parents "in the next few days".  

A meeting for local residents was also to be held in the central lecture theatre block from 6pm to 7.30pm November 23.  

"This meeting is part of our regular community relations programme and we will be very happy to discuss the events centre project with any parent who wishes to attend," the spokesman said. He said the university would push ahead with the events centre project and was "committed to being a good neighbour".